Favorite population to work with as a CNA?

[TurtleCat]

What's your favorite population, or type of patients to work with as a CNA?

Personally, I love geriatrics and working with the elderly, which is why I went into CNA work in the first place. I've always had a soft spot for the elderly for some reason, I guess because most of the ones I've met tend to be so sweet, polite and funny, and they love me and I always get along real well with them. I also empathize with them, knowing that they worked hard their whole lives and contributed to society only to have their health and physical well-being decline to the point where they're dependent on others. That must be rough.

It seems like geriatrics is the most common population a CNA works with, but there are also others, such as pediatrics, developmentally disabled, psychiatric, etc. and I guess I was wondering if anyone out there had experience with those fields and if they preferred them to geriatrics.

[mvm2]

I only have worked with the elderly, and even though I absoluetly love children I would be a little scared and hesitant to work with peds. mainly because of the stories of the parents and their expectations sometimes scare me to death. i just am afraid that i would not be the care giver that they would want, and I could not take that emotionally that I let a client down.

[Career2_BSN, BSN]

I start my CNA program in a few weeks and like you, I have a soft spot for geriatrics, and for many of the same reasons. I have a soft spot for kids as well and taught preschool for several years but seeing kids in pain and poor healthy when they have so much living ahead of them might tear me up. With geriatrics, you do what you can to alleviate all of that but if they pass, you know they at least had an opportunity to live.

I would like to work in a hospital, tho, maybe in Med-Surg, where I will have opportunity to work with all ages.

[RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN]

I love pediatrics! I'm a former early childhood teacher (20 years) and I thought I was done with kids but I love my peds patients. I'm at a children's hospital and get patients anywhere from 3-4 days old to 19 years old. I'm currently a CNA and hope to stay on as an RN when I graduate.

[MommaTy]

Pediatrics and labor and delivery is by far my favorite as a CNA. I have worked on a telemetry unit, med surg unit, pediatrics, labor and delivery, and geriatrics.

[TurtleCat]

Pediatrics and labor and delivery is by far my favorite as a CNA. I have worked on a telemetry unit, med surg unit, pediatrics, labor and delivery, and geriatrics.

Out of curiosity, what did you do and what were your job responsibilities working as a labor and delivery CNA? I once saw a job opening for a labor & delivery CNA position at my local hospital and applied, but didn't get the job.